Veteran Participation in Operation Song: Exploring Resiliency in a Songwriting Experience

This study takes a phenomenological approach to explore the experience of Operation Song, a United States nonprofit organization’s songwriting program for military veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Six participants completed semi-structured interviews to identify the structural, textural, and composite descriptions of the Operation Song experience. Findings were analyzed through an interpretive phenomenological analysis, which led to themes describing the essence as a “catalyst to invoke personal change.” When restructured for this article, original key themes describing the overall experience were reestablished as a setting that promoted authenticity, trusted social support, uniquely skilled songwriters, songwriting, and listening to the songs. Through a review of the biopsychosocial impacts of trauma and resiliency factors, this study offers a unique outlook supporting social and creative experiences as complementary mechanisms to enhance treatment outcomes for military veterans with PTSD.